Celebrate math and pie at Zoar Pi(e) Day March 14

Any way you figure it, Zoar Pi(e) Day on Thursday, March 14 is delicious fun. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can sample a variety of fresh pies and take home whole pies. They also can find an array of treats at the Zoar Bakery and stop by the Zoar Store for a selection of baking utensils, cutting boards and other pie-related merchandise.

For those who need a reminder of what was learned in high school math, Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is a decimal with no end, represented in math as 3.14. The holiday for this numeral started at Exploratorium, a San Francisco science and technology museum, in 1988 and has since been recognized annually.

According to Tammi Shrum, site director for Historic Zoar Village, the event has been growing in popularity over the past couple of years.

“We had scheduled the first Pi(e) Day for March 14, 2020, but I think most people recall what happened the day before,” Shrum said.

If you don’t remember, then-President Trump declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 virus.

“When we finally held it in 2021, we sold out of 50 pies very quickly,” Shrum said. “We are now selling upwards of 100 pies at the event.”

If you’re looking to get in on the tastiness, Shrum said you may want to get there early. The event is free with pie slices going for $2 each and whole pies priced at $13.

In addition to pies, the Zoar Bakery also will have a variety of breads available, along with jams, baking-related merchandise and some Zoar souvenirs.

The Zoar Store also will be open for shopping from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“The store will have new baking-related merchandise for sale, like pie birds, cutting boards and mini-rolling pins for kids,” Shrum said.

Zoar Pi(e) Day supports the nonprofit Zoar Community Association, which manages Historic Zoar Village for the Ohio History Connection.

“All of our events and programs are fundraisers for Historic Zoar Village,” Shrum said. “The funds raised are used for the preservation of the village and garden and to continue offering educational programming for the public, especially school-aged children.”

Since Historic Zoar Village doesn’t officially open until April 6 this year, the best way to find more information on this and other events is by following its posts on Facebook or visiting www.historiczoarvillage.com. The Zoar Store is open from March 1 through Dec. 31 and has its own Facebook page and a website for online ordering at www.thezoarstore.com.